Newest Pacer Rodney Stuckey: 'Good situation with a great team'

While Lance Stephenson was in the land of loose slots and desolate dreams betting on his future with the Charlotte Hornets, Rodney Stuckey was somewhere in Seattle anticipating the call from his agent.

In the wake of losing Stephenson, who chose the Hornets earlier this week during a visit to Las Vegas, the Indiana Pacers reached out, again, to Stuckey.

"We just kept in contact with (the Pacers) throughout the whole free agency process," Stuckey recalled on Thursday, a day after he agreed to a one-year deal with Indiana. "They always showed interest in me and once Lance decided to go to Charlotte, I thought it was just a good opportunity for me to come in and just be in a good situation with a great team."

Stuckey, a 6-5 shooting guard with career averages of 13.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 3.9 assists, will sign the contract and take his physical on Monday morning in Indianapolis. By then, Stephenson will have already been introduced to Charlotte media and fans as the newest Hornet and the Pacers will have moved on with a veteran who desired to be in Indiana.

For the bargain price of the veteran's minimum, Stuckey should become part of the shooting guard committee to help fill the vacuum left by Stephenson.

"If they want me to come off the bench, then I'll do that. If they need me to start, I'll do that. It doesn't really matter. Whatever they need me to do, I'll do," Stuckey said. "I'm excited to have a fresh start. It's going to be good for me. ... I want to win. I'm going to come in and work hard. I'm going to earn everyone's respect. I'm going to earn my minutes and I'm just going to come in and just compete."

If Stuckey sounds as eager as a job candidate sitting opposite of an HR manager, then maybe the last five years in Detroit can explain his pledges. Though Stuckey played in the Eastern Conference Finals his rookie year with the Pistons, then got swept by Cleveland in the first round the next season, he has not experienced the rush of the postseason since 2009.

"As far as being in Detroit and playing, it's been tough," Stuckey said. "I don't accept losing. I hate losing. It's never fun when you're losing. You got to try to get through it and that's what I tried to do. All that's behind me right now, it's a fresh start. I'm just excited about this opportunity to come into a great organization and compete."

The cycle of high hopes crashing to the bottom of the standings frustrated Stuckey, who has played for six coaches through his seven-year career and has lost 254 games over the last five seasons. While in conversation, Stuckey will initially describe his experience at The Palace in Auburn Hills as "fun," however a more truthful representation of those lean years comes into focus as he explains published reports about his disruptive behavior.

In 2010-11, Stuckey clashed with former head coach John Kuester and the feud led to multiple benchings throughout the season. Also in 2013, Lawrence Frank, who the Detroit players reportedly stopped responding to, benched Stuckey one game for an unexplained reason.

"I'm very humble, I'm very down to earth, I'm very respectful (but) I just don't like to lose. In Detroit, I've had people accept losing and I don't accept that," Stuckey said. "Yeah, I had my confrontations and whatnot. Was I wrong in some parts? Yeah, I admit it. Yeah, I was. It was all out of frustration.

"I was young and you live and learn, you go through every situation," Stuckey continued. "I'm 28 now, I've been through a lot of different experiences throughout life and I know how to handle different situations now. That's just how it is. I know for sure when I come in here, I'm definitely going to respect each and every one of these guys. I'm coming in to learn. I want to learn and I want to get everything down and make sure we're all going to be on the same page. There's not going to be separation between me and any other person on the team and even in the organization. I'm just ready to come in, I'm ready to learn and I'm ready to compete with my team."

Since the end of the regular season, Stuckey has retreated to his home in Washington where he has been working out twice a day. Now that he has received the call, Stuckey is enthusiastic about leaving the past defeats buried in Detroit and embracing a new atmosphere in Indiana.

"This right here is a fresh start," Stuckey said. "I think it is something that I need and something that I want and I'm just excited about it."

Call Star reporter Candace Buckner at (317) 444-6121. Follow her on Twitter: @CandaceDBuckner.